In the 1996 World Series the Yankees beat the National League champion Atlanta Braves four games to two, winning four consecutive games to overcome a two-games-to-none deficit. The Yankees earned their 23rd World Series title and their first since 1978.

December 21, 1995: David Cone was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.[4]

December 28, 1995: The Yankees traded a player to be named later to the Chicago White Sox for Tim Raines. The Yankees completed the deal by sending Blaise Kozeniewski to the White Sox on February 6, 1996.[5]

On October 9, 1996, the Yankees trailed the Orioles 4–3 in the bottom of the eighth inning when shortstopDerek Jeter hit a deep fly ball to right field. Right fielder Tony Tarasco moved near the fence and appeared "to draw a bead on the ball"[20] when then-12 year old fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence separating the stands and the field of play 9 feet below and deflected the ball into the stands. While baseball fans are permitted to catch (and keep) balls hit into the stands, if "a spectator reaches out of the stands, or goes on the playing field, and touches a live ball"[21]spectator interference is to be called.